''Microsynodontis'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of upside-down catfishes native to freshwater rivers in western

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. The genus was originally described by British-Belgian zoologist

George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger (19 October 1858 – 23 November 1937) was a Belgian-British zoologist who described and gave scientific names to over 2,000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Boulenger was also an active botani ...

in 1903 based upon the

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

'' Microsynodontis batesii''. The name ''microsynodontis'' comes from the Greek word ''mikro'', meaning small, and the Greek term ''synodon'', meaning "with the teeth all growing together".

Description

Species in ''Microsynodontis'' are small, reaching a maximum

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of fish anatomy, their anatomies, for data used in many areas of ichthyology, including Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and fishery biology. Overall length Standard length (SL) is ...

of . The mouth of the fish faces downward, with broad lips containing

papilla Papilla (Latin, 'nipple') or papillae may refer to: In animals * Papilla (fish anatomy), in the mouth of fish * Papilla (worms), small bumps on the surface of certain worms * Basilar papilla, a sensory organ of lizards, amphibians and fish * ...

. The body shape is cylindrical along its entire length. Little is known about the life cycle or biology of ''Microsynodontis.'' Identifying an individual fish's species within the genus of Microsynodontis can be difficult, but some diagnostic methods have been identifying, including the identification of the color and color patterns, the shape and size of the fins, the shape and size of the snout, the characteristics of the spines of the fish, and the characteristics of the tubercles, which are small, rounded protrusions on the skin of the fish. The number of teeth in an individual has not been demonstrated to be useful in identifying the species in this genus, unlike in other genera of the Mochokidae. ''Microsynodontis'' species express

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...

. Males can be distinguished by the presence of a conical

genital papilla The genital papilla is an anatomical feature of the external genitalia of some animals. In mammals In mammals, the genital papilla is a part of the vulva not present in humans, which appears as a small, fleshy flab of tissue. The papilla covers the ...

immediately posterior to the anus; in females, this papilla is smaller and has a flattened tip. Males also have a much denser aggregation of

tubercle In anatomy, a tubercle (literally 'small tuber', Latin for 'lump') is any round nodule, small eminence, or warty outgrowth found on external or internal organs of a plant or an animal. In plants A tubercle is generally a wart-like projectio ...

s on the head. In ''M. hirsutus'' these tubercles are longer than in the other species. ''Microsynodontis'' species are occasionally imported for the

aquarium An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...

trade.

Species

There are currently 12 recognized species in this genus: * '' Microsynodontis armatus'' H. H. Ng, 2004 * '' Microsynodontis batesii'' Boulenger, 1903 * '' Microsynodontis christyi'' Boulenger, 1920 * '' Microsynodontis emarginata'' H. H. Ng, 2004 * '' Microsynodontis hirsuta'' H. H. Ng, 2004 * '' Microsynodontis laevigata'' H. H. Ng, 2004 * '' Microsynodontis lamberti''

Poll Poll, polled, or polling may refer to: Forms of voting and counting * Poll, a formal election ** Election verification exit poll, a survey taken to verify election counts ** Polling, voting to make decisions or determine opinions ** Polling pla ...

Gosse Gosse is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bob Gosse (born 1963), American film producer and director * Charles Gosse (1849–1885), Australian surgeon, son of William * Clarence Gosse (1912–1996), Canadian physician and Lieu ...

, 1963 * '' Microsynodontis nannoculus'' H. H. Ng, 2004 * '' Microsynodontis nasutus'' H. H. Ng, 2004 * '' Microsynodontis notata'' H. H. Ng, 2004 * ''

Microsynodontis polli ''Microsynodontis polli'' is a species of upside-down catfish native to Guinea from the Gbin River and Liberia from Saint John. This species grows to a length of TL. Etymology The catfish is named in honor of ichthyologist Max Poll Max Fer ...

'' Lambert, 1958 * '' Microsynodontis vigilis'' H. H. Ng, 2004

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5028410 Mochokidae Fish of Africa Catfish genera Freshwater fish genera